New Delhi, August 28: Argentine Ambassador to India Mariano Caucino held discussions with India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on strengthening cooperation in election management and the training of election personnel, in line with the vision of the India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management 2026.
The interaction focused on the exchange of experience and best practices in electoral administration, capacity building, voter services and the professional training of election officials. It reflected the shared interest of India and Argentina in promoting transparent, inclusive and efficient democratic processes.
Argentina’s Current Electoral Process
Argentina is a federal presidential republic. At the national level, elections are administered through the National Electoral Directorate, federal electoral judges and the National Electoral Chamber, which is the country’s highest electoral authority.
Argentine citizens vote directly for the president and vice-president. A presidential candidate or ticket can win in the first round by securing at least 45 per cent of the valid votes, or 40 per cent with a lead of more than 10 percentage points over the second-placed candidate. If no ticket meets either condition, a run-off election is held between the two leading candidates.
The president and vice-president are elected for four-year terms and may be re-elected once consecutively. National legislative elections are also held through direct voting. Argentina’s Congress consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected through proportional representation in the provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Senators are elected by district, with each province and the City of Buenos Aires represented by three senators. The Senate seats are distributed to the leading and second-placed political forces in each district.
For the 2025 national legislative elections, Argentina introduced the Single Paper Ballot system. Under this arrangement, the voter receives a single ballot containing the candidates and lists competing in the relevant district, selects the preferred option and places the ballot in the ballot box. The system was intended to standardise the voting process, reduce the need for large quantities of party-printed ballots and improve transparency in elections.
Argentina’s PASO primary elections—known in English as open, simultaneous and compulsory primaries—were suspended for the 2025 electoral process under Law 27.783. The suspension was specific to the 2025 elections and did not, by itself, permanently abolish the legal framework for PASO.
Voting is compulsory for most citizens between the ages of 18 and 70. Young people aged 16 and 17 may vote, although voting is optional for them. Voting is also optional for citizens over 70. Argentine citizens living abroad may participate in national elections under the applicable rules, while voting arrangements vary for different categories of voters and elections.
The discussion between Ambassador Mariano Caucino and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar highlighted the potential for India and Argentina to deepen institutional cooperation in electoral training, election technology, voter awareness, election administration and the sharing of democratic best practices.